Cousinly Advice
by Shaggelmalove
Summary: Shaggy gives his younger cousin advice and she returns the favor. Please review!


Me: So it's 4:52 am as I'm typing this and I figured it's random one-shot time = D  
>Ajihad: As I'm the only voice in her head currently awake right now, I would personally love to ask on behalf of us all: how is the weather in your tea?<br>Me: o.0 I worry about you sometimes...  
>Ajihad: I feel loved ^^<br>Me: Anyways, please review and tell me how you like it!

Cousinly Advice is Sometimes the Most Precious Gift in the World:

Colby sat staring at the ceiling in her darkened bedroom. It'd been three days since she left home to visit America and her dear cousin with her two sisters. Her one sister in particular had sleepily draped herself across Colby in her sleep, though of course Colby didn't mind. It was Pia after all, and these things were honestly quite normal between them. Tonight however, instead of joining her sister in blissful oblivion, she found she couldn't but barely shut her eyes to welcome it. She turned herself over and stared into the peaceful face of her sister. Sometimes she wished desperately that she could be more able to be her. Less apt to tears late in the night and shuddering depression during daylights precious hours.

No longer able to stand the dim silence and the heat of the blanket, Colby stood and crept her way towards the lilac door and out into the orange and green halls of Mystery Incorporated headquarters. She made her way into the living room and quietly turned the television on. She'd been wanting to do this ever since she found the tapes in the attic, but her uncle had long ago thrown out the worn VCR from their entertainment system. Colby turned the TV to channel three and pressed, not without a sly smile, the pokeball shaped button on the Pokemon VCR of her cousin's that would turn it on. Slipping quietly over to her backpack in the corner of the multi-color room, she removed the tapes labeled 'Home Videos: 1995-1998;' the latter year being the very one her father had been killed abroad and her mother died.

Putting the tape in the player, she sat down on the couch and turned the television as low as she could while still being able to hear. The picture cleared from the whiteness of static to a view of what appeared to be a living room with wooden paneled walls, a fireplace, and various settings of furniture from the time period. The camera jumped a little and swerved to a corner of the living room scattered with toys and three small children in view. Two of them were about a year-old with wisps of hair just starting to gain it's true color and standing, Colby recognized herself and Pia as being them. Next to them giving them awkward hugs and leaning out to kiss them gently as a four year-old can, was none other than their cousin, Norville Chastain 'Shaggy' Rogers.

A few moments later another person came into view and Colby held her breath. A young woman with shoulder-length, waved hair the color of Colby's own; a mixture of light brunette, blond, red, and nutmeg brown all swirled together to create a whole new color. She sat on the floor and beckoned the babies to her with soothing sounds that Colby faintly recognized from toddler-hood. Her mother's gorgeous crystal eyes shining as they stumbled into her arms in clumsy steps of life. She hugged them close to her and Colby felt a shiver flow down her spine. A louder, more manly chuckle filled the screen and the camera was set on the table as a man in his mid to late twenties sat down next to her mother. Pia happily cried: Duh-duh. The man scooped her playfully in his arms and kissed her nose.

The scene changed and soon it was two hours later. Colby slid in the last tape and pressed play. They were in a car, the camera set up on the space above the backseat. Colby could see the tops of both her and her two sisters heads in their car-seats. Jaz's just barely visible above her car-seat. Her parents were in front, laughing; smiling even. Then it happened. They were stopped. Colby heard gun-shots ring out after her parents were forced from the car and with each ear drum cracking pop, shock rippled her body and she shook uncontrollably. She could hear her just three year old self crying at the loudness of the sudden noise and she pressed stop as quickly as she could; her hands shaking as she almost dropped the remote control.

Behind her she heard a noise and she jumped up from her seat on the couch, still shaking violently. "Who-whose there? Speak now!" She said, barely remembering to use her English rather than German. "I said speak! Please!" She began backing away as someone walked into the room. The person flipped the light-switch and Colby's breathing steadied lightly as she saw her cousin's face. "Norville, you scared me!" She said, startled enough to use his truthful name. "How... how long have you been there?" She asked, her voice was threatening to shake. The look on his face was concerned for her.

"For a while..." He admitted. "Since you started the tapes." Colby nodded slowly.

"So you saw that last part?" She asked him timidly. He stepped forward and took her in his arms tightly. He stroked her hair and kissed her atop the head affectionately.

"Every last bit." She shuddered into his shoulder. "I'm here for you, you know. Always and forever." She nodded into his chest.

"Shaggy..."

"Yes?"

"You can tell her." Shaggy pulled back to look at his cousin in confusion.

"Who? Pia? Jaz?" Colby shook her head. She took the hem of her over-sized nightshirt and dabbed at her eyes, revealing the faded Nightmare Before Christmas shorts she'd had since she was nine.

"No. Velma. You should tell her." Shaggy cocked his head as even more confusion filled him.

"About this? Are you sure?" He was concerned for her.

"No. About how you like her. It's been like fifteen years now. I think you should tell her." He was beyond confused now. "Don't pretend to me Norville Chastain Rogers that you don't love everything about her. I've seen the way you look at her. I've seen the way she smiles at you. You deserve each other, don't let this slide away." He let her words sink in. He won't lie to his own mind, he did like Velma. But was it true that he looked at her a certain way and that she smiled at him in a way that she doesn't for others?

"How-" He began to ask, but she held up her hands and took his in her own.

"I lost my mother and my father. My sister lies to me about pain. I hide myself every frickin' day to the point where I have no idea who I am anymore. I'm not going to stand idly by and watch you throw love away because you're afraid too." She paused, her breath shaking slightly. "Go after her. Now, and before it's too late. It's already too late for me." He tried to protest but she pressed a firm hand to his lips. "Please, just do it." He nodded and she returned the gesture, albeit weakly.

"It's not too late you know." He said quite suddenly a few moments later as she had turned to go back to her bed. "It's never too late." She nodded and turned back to him. 

"The truth is a beautiful and terrible thing you know." Her voice was far away and forlorn.

"Well, we're all human aren't we?" Shaggy countered. "Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving."

"Touche." Colby said, her old smile returning and stabbing a knife in Shaggy's heart. He realized now that so many were not real.

"Colby. Really, it's not too late." She nodded once more. "Oh, and Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment, Tweak."

"Thanks." Colby said, pausing at the door. She turned back to her cousin and ran over, hugging him tightly. "Thank you."


End file.
